Tasting a Pomegranate

The berry of the fruit crushes upon my tongue,
bitter, sweet, savored. And the hills cascade into
waves of green, rising with the patter of my footsteps,
lowered by the weight of fruits of labor
that hang like a jacket from a windowsill,
placed in a position to be held but
always in fear of slipping during the next
round of layoffs. 

I taste the sweet fruit that comes from markets but starts in
the fields, with laborers clutching baskets that pile weight
upon their shoulders and take the fruits from their lush,
supple birthplaces, those sprawling bushes and trees
that extend their branches like cries of help. The fruit pulses
against my tongue as I break the skin, pushing through its
outward barriers and tasting the drops of red, the somber
traces of an ending. As I bite, the fruit disappears. And I
remember that my presence makes others disappear,
like my ex-husband and sister-in-law. 

In a few years, nothing will be left, except the carcass of this fruit
and the remaining pomegranates on those branches, cradled by a
sun’s fading orange horizons and
the languid flow of red wine juice
bleeding out.

• Bio
• Latest Posts

Danielle Mikaelian

Danielle Mikaelian is the descendant of Armenian Genocide survivors who fled to the United States. Mikaelian is a graduate of Columbia University with a bachelor’s in English Literature. She currently attends Harvard Law School. Mikaelian served as Columbia University’s Armenian Society president and currently serves as co-president of the Harvard Armenian Law Students Association. Mikaelian has been named as a two-time Huys Foundation Scholar, Armenian Bar Association scholarship recipient, Arisdine Krikorian scholarship recipient, WhoWeAre scholarship recipient, Armenian Professional Society scholarship recipient and more due to her commitment to the Armenian cause. Mikaelian was also a 2024 mentee in the International Armenian Literary Alliance Mentorship Program.

Latest posts by Danielle Mikaelian (see all)

• From ANCA to Harvard Law: a journey of Armenian advocacy and impact - February 19, 2025
• Stay with me, Armenia - January 14, 2025
• Danielle Mikaelian visits San Lazzaro degli Armeni - November 26, 2024